Un pèlerinage pour Mardi (A pilgrimage for Tuesday)

Or has it been for the whole trip? Je ne said pas (I don't know), but it feels like it has been as I've visited so many churches. Tuesday I visited L'Église Saint-Séverin, which is known for its gothic architecture and beautiful stained-glass. A couple days ago I came across a free guide for churches in Paris. As soon as I had my hands on this, my heart soared and I knew my church visiting would increase exponentially. Everything is there: Christ in a very concrete way, beauty, peace, rest. It's the one place I can always go to and feel at home.

While there I came across a program put on through the church called Elle et Lui (She and Him). This is the first church I've come across with this program for couples, which I heard a little about but still do not know that much. From what I've heard it's a good program, and it helps strengthen couples through the teachings of the Church. It would be good to connect with the parish office about this program, as I haven't seen it promoted in many churches. Aside from it's beautiful windows, this church definitely stands out.

I must have sat for 30-minutes just admiring this painting. There was no way of knowing who painted this, but I just appreciate it so much. To see Jesus dead and his body being cared for and ministered to, even as he was dead. I think I was most struck by the angel in maroon, off to the left who is crying as the other two are ministering to Jesus. It's beautiful because most of the time when we see paintings of the angles, they're all rejoicing. But in this painting, there's both the heavenly and profound sadness. I've never seen the angels depicted like this before, but what a concept to think that even the angels grieved.


Across the street was L'Église Saint-Julien-le-Pauvre, which is a parish for Melkite Greek Catholics. It is 1 of the 3 oldest churches in Paris, very intimate, and still holds Masses.

I also visited the exterior of L'Église Notre Dame. It is good to see that the renovation is finally over. I remember when I first was at this church, the towers were black with age and dirt, and it was undergoing massive renovation inside and out. Now seeing the church, it's quite a scene as its towers have been restored back to their original ivory and how dramatic it stands, as it is directly next to la Seine.


This was my favorite sign in the store that was less than hospitable; I think it's kind of hilarious.


I walked past Place St. Michel and eventually found myself on one of the oldest streets in Paris called Rue Mouffetard. I feel like this street is perfect for a film of some sort. It just has that ambiance as you're walking through the local shops and narrow, curvy road where you kind of feel transported back to a different time period. Indeed, it's definitely got new shops since over the years its become more touristy, but there's still a lot of the local feel here. I prayed vespers in L'Église Saint-Médard but was very frustrated with something that had happened in the church. I wanted to tell someone but there was no one around. The situation just made me sad.

Wandering up the Rue Mouffetard, in such a tiny area, there were so many restaurants. Normally, I'm used to driving from one neighborhood to the next to find the type of food I want. But in Paris, the standard and appreciation for food is so high here. It's a wonderful city to visit if you love food because you have a variety of food options within 1 block. It's a very authentic food culture where even the waitservice supports that culture -- in other words, your waiter is never going to rush you even if you sit for 4 hours with a tiny espresso cup because it's just understood that good food and drink should be enjoyed and that it takes time. Gotta love that. My favorite food is Tibetan, and I found one on this street, next to an Italian restaurant, next to a French traditional restaurant, next to Lebanese, Chinese, and pubs.

Mass was held at the beautiful L'Église Etienne du Mont; and afterwards, I found a famous pâtisserie called Dalloyau next to le Jardin du Luxembourg. My dessert was a rasberry macaron layered with vanilla and crème and filled with raspberry ganache inside.